How much should writers consider their future readers?

Dani Shapiro's compelling essay in this week's New York Times Sunday Book Review explores her attempts to shield her son from a confessional and unflattering memoir she penned years before he was born. Unlike most parents who can conceal or disown their pasts, memoirists create an undeniable record. I think the issue applies to fiction writers too: How many of us wrote provocative stories before we even conceived of our offspring? Before we gave a thought to what our children might think of our work? Moreover, even when we opt to have kids or become parents, how much does their potential readership effect what we produce?

Consider these questions after reading THIS.